Singapore, 6 December 2012 - Ganbarou Nippon: Taste of Japan, held from 27 to 29 October 2011 at Suntec Singapore, made a successful preview of Oishii Japan to be launched here next year.
Occupying 1,500 square metres of gross exhibition space, Ganbarou Nippon was co-located with Wine for Asia 2011 and Wine Fiesta at Suntec Singapore. It featured a two-day trade show with the last day for the public. The show attracted 5,060 trade and public visitors. The show won accolades from both trade and consumer visitors as well as exhibitors. It was a hit with the cooking demonstrations incessantly attracting groups of people and the food samples being snapped up.
This augurs well for Oishii Japan, which will be launched in Singapore from 1 to 3 November 2012. Both Ganbarou Nippon and Oishii Japan are organised by TSO MP International, a joint-venture company set up by two established exhibition organisers - TSO International Inc of Japan, and MP International of Singapore.
Said Ms Sylvia Phua, Chief Executive Officer of co-organiser MP International: "Ganbarou Nippon presented a worthy prelude of Oishii Japan. We are very encouraged by the enthusiastic response from both visitors and exhibitors and expect Oishii Japan to have a strong debut here next year. We are confident that the show should be highly successful given Singaporeans' and the region's love of Japanese food as well as the proliferation of Japanese restaurants."
Ganbarou Nippon showcased food specialties from some 100 exhibitors from more than 20 prefectures in Japan, including Okinawa, Kagoshima, Kagawa, Hiroshima, Osaka, Wakayama, Gifu, Niigata, Shizuoka, Chiba, Tokyo, Tottori, Kanagawa, Yamagata and Hokkaido.
Featured products at Ganbarou Nippon included Hida prime beef, ramen, Kagoshima pork and beef, Kawaga Sanuki Gold kiwi, and Northern Bluefin tuna, as well as sake, sochu and beer from various prefectures. On trade days (27-28 October), the showcase attracted F&B professionals from Japanese restaurants, hotels, business owners, consultancies as well as food importers, wholesalers and distributors.
Both visitors and exhibitors had very positive comments on the show.
Said Mr Kosuke Suzuki of Tan Viet Nhat Food Co.Ltd, a hosted buyer from Vietnam: "I had an excellent and fruitful time at the show. I gained many quality business contacts in the two trade days.
"This experience is very useful because my company is expanding rapidly in Vietnam. I highly recommend this show for trade buyers who are looking to expand their business network and source for a wide variety of F&B products and services. I will certainly visit again next year at Oishii Japan 2012."
Mr Masahiro Ono of Saga Agriculture, Forestry, and Marine Products Export Promotion Association, said it was the first time that they were promoting Saga beef in Singapore. "Ganbarou Nippon provided us with an excellent gateway to penetrate the Southeast Asian market," he added.
Mr Kunihito Sakashita of Kagoshima Meat Export Federation was just as
pleased: "We received many good business contacts at Ganbarou Nippon and are deeply satisfied with the show," he said. "It is a good idea to co-locate with Wine for Asia 2011 as we have also met some European buyers and gathered feedback from them."
Ganbarou Nippon was opened to the public on the last day and visitors were offered a taste of Japan's unique culinary culture and traditions through various interactive food demonstrations, tastings and workshops. Hands-on workshops on ramen and miso-making for children were particularly well-received as all sessions were full.
Oishii Japan was to have made its debut in Singapore this year, but its launch had to be postponed to 2012 following the earthquake in Japan in March 2011. Due to keen interest from a number of the exhibitors to showcase their products in Singapore, the organisers decided to stage a preview showcase by launching Ganbarou Nippon.
Ganbarou Nippon embodies the resilient spirit of the Japanese to rebound from the earthquake and its impact on the F&B industry and make a strong statement for Japanese products. The event aimed to instil confidence in the safety and quality of Japanese food products in consumers in the wake of the disaster.
Highlights of the show included:
Live tuna-cutting demonstration of Northern Bluefin Tuna Sashimi & sushi-making demonstration by Masterchef Yoshio Nogawa, Nogawa Restaurant Product spotlight on prefecture specialities such as Hida Wagyu beef, Kagoshima pork and beef, Saga Wagyu beef, junmai daiginjo sake and Okinawa specialties Premium beer appreciation workshop by Suntory Liquors Business success seminars by Shigemi Kawahara, Founder of Ippudo "The Japanese Business Philosophy" & Masterchef Yoshio Nogawa of Nogawa Restaurant Story of a Successful Restaurateur Ramen demonstration and free tasting Ramen and miso-making workshops for children
Summing up the sentiment of trade visitors, Ms Miki Wong Sin Yin of GCH Retail (M) Sdn Bhd, a hosted buyer from Malaysia, said: "I would definitely recommend the show to my fellow industry colleagues. It is an excellent platform to gather new market information and source for interesting products."
Following the success of Ganbarou Nippon, F&B trade professionals can look forward to Oishii Japan 2012, to be held from 1 to 3 November at Suntec Singapore. It will incorporate the world of Japanese noodles, food machinery and food franchising.
Contact
Angie Eng
Email: angieeng@mpinetwork.com
Telephone: +65 6393 0242
Organization: TSO MP International Pte Ltd
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